₦700 billion needed annually to maintain federal roads – FG

The Minister of State for Works, Mohammad Goronyo, has raised concerns about the inadequate budgetary allocation to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), emphasizing the critical role it plays in maintaining and repairing the nation’s roads.

He highlighted that the agency requires over ₦700 billion annually to effectively maintain federal roads across the country.

Speaking during the budget defence session with the joint Senate and House Committees on FERMA, Goronyo, who oversees the agency, underscored the scale of FERMA’s responsibility and the pressing need for increased funding.

A statement from FERMA’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Maryam Sanusi, revealed that the agency presented a budget proposal of ₦64.88 billion for the 2025 fiscal year. This includes ₦4.9 billion for personnel costs, ₦33.47 billion for overhead, and ₦26.49 billion for capital projects—an amount lower than the ₦77 billion proposed for 2024.

The proposed budget prioritizes major trunk A roads across the six geopolitical zones, aligning with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for national development and economic recovery.

In his remarks, Goronyo stated that ₦96.7 billion was allocated to FERMA in the 2024 budget, later increased to ₦103.3 billion by the president. However, only ₦41.28 billion of this sum was disbursed by the Accountant-General’s office, with ₦40.29 billion utilized to date.

The minister stressed FERMA’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and community engagement in road maintenance planning, while acknowledging the agency’s challenges due to limited funding. He reiterated that maintaining the vast network of federal roads would require an annual budget of over ₦700 billion.

“I appeal to this esteemed committee to support the agency in ensuring the sustainability of road infrastructure maintenance,” Goronyo said. “Increased financial support will allow us to scale up preventive maintenance and promote sustainable road practices.”

He further disclosed that FERMA is working on revising key policies to generate additional resources for proactive road maintenance and ensure smoother transportation of people, goods, and services.

Expressing gratitude to the legislative committees for their support, Goronyo emphasized the importance of maintaining federal roads to achieve the goals of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

During his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on FERMA, Hussaini Babangida, criticized the practice of prioritizing new road construction over the maintenance of existing ones.

“It is concerning that the budget allocation to FERMA is insufficient to address the pressing need for road maintenance,” Babangida said. “If we agree that roads are enablers of growth and development, then stakeholders must collaborate to find lasting solutions to the issue of poor funding.”

He called for a balanced approach to road construction and maintenance, stressing the need for adequate measures to preserve existing road infrastructure while supporting new projects.